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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rule — a law
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rock — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rest — a break
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rule — government
  19. lean — thin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com